The automotive wiring harness manufacturing industry is a traditionally labor-intensive industry. Many basic operations, such as wrapping, wiring, and insertion, still require manual labor, which is not only inefficient but also prone to errors. Therefore, many industry professionals are looking for ways to improve efficiency and reduce mistakes by using machines. Examples include changing the heat shrinking method from single wires to a tracked system, as well as automatic connector insertion machines and automatic wrapping machines. Today, we'll discuss automatic wrapping machines.
Automatic tape-coating machines are generally divided into two main categories: handheld and tabletop. Let's take a look at the handheld automatic tape-coating machine first. This type of machine is typically used in assembly line operations. The machine is suspended by a cantilever, and the operator holds the handle. The tape is already fixed to the machine, and as the operator moves their hand, the tape automatically wraps around the wire harness.
This machine's speed is adjustable, and the number of wraps, or the tape coverage, is also adjustable. For example, a typical closed-loop coating requires a coverage of 30% to 50%. This number can be seen on the display screen and is adjustable. Below are pictures and key parameters of two common types of machines:
However, because it is manually controlled, the distance control between the tapes cannot yet be automated, which is the current improvement goal for handheld automatic tape wrapping machines. Generally speaking, this type of machine is suitable for relatively simple and straight wire harnesses. It is less efficient for wire harnesses with too many bends and complexities (such as those in the instrument panel compartment and engine compartment), which is also a problem that needs to be overcome in the future.
The second type is the tabletop automatic coating machine. This type of machine is generally used in the pre-processing area and is placed on a specific tabletop, hence the name tabletop machine.
Like handheld machines, this type of machine can control the number of tape wraps and the speed. It's very simple to operate, requiring only one employee to sit down. However, as shown in the picture, it's only suitable for straight, short wire harnesses; it's not suitable for longer harnesses with multiple branches. For batch production, efficiency can be significantly improved compared to operating on a tooling board. Making it smaller and lighter is a key challenge for future development.
In addition to these two, another type of automatic coating machine has attracted attention: an automatic coating machine for parallel weld joints.
Once the machine is plugged in and the adhesive tape is replaced, it's ready to use. It's easy to operate by following the instructions on the LCD screen.
The number of wraps and the speed of the tape can be adjusted, and even the length of the tape can be adjusted. For thinner wire harnesses, the tape length can be shortened to avoid waste, while for thicker wire harnesses, it can be lengthened to ensure complete coverage.
The following is the process of applying the adhesive:
The efficiency is much higher than the previous manual method. It can complete the wrapping of a wire harness in 2.5 to 3 seconds. Theoretically, it can produce 1,200 wire harnesses per hour. However, the disadvantage is that it is only effective for parallel welding (both sides) joints. Terminal welding (one side) cannot be achieved for the time being. There is also an industry-wide problem that the blade will not be able to cut the tape as the usage time goes on, making it increasingly difficult to use.
